Fishing plug



Sept. 23,.1952 R. B. POND 2,611,207

FISHING PLUG Filed April 17, 1 947 12; FIG. 2

38 34 $0 64: 7 74 56b 64b Z 5 72a 725 29b 84b IN V EN TOR.

a P t BY %zL-/ iii/- ATTORN EY Fatented Sept. 23, 11952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE U 2,611,207 H FISHING PLUG Robert arena, Attleboro, Mass,

' Application April 17, 1947, Serial No. 742,171

I .1 Claim. (01. 43 412.36)

My invention relates to improvements in fishing plugs and lures particularly adapted for use with powerful game fish such as striped bass. Striped bass, a sea fish, usually feeds near the shore and is a big, powerful, active, gamey fish of substantial weight, varying from 8-40 pounds, providing an exciting catch for the surf-casting fisherman.

An object of my invention is to provide a fishing plug which is primarily adapted for use with striped bass and for this purpose Ihave so designed my plug as to present the optimum amount of appeal and allure to the fish, at the same time being of sufilciently rugged construction to land the fish.

Fishing for striped bass requires a lot of watching, listening and practicing. The striped bass, being an active and powerful fish, when hungry, searchesfor fish with much, power and gusto. The habit .of the striped bass is to sneak up quickly on the bait and with a. powerful jump out of water land on top of it to stun and conquer it before eating it. I have discovered that it is particularly attracted towarded wounded or injured smaller fish, and when it sojumps to stun itsjprey, it makes a large splash in the water, with the emission of air bubbles, causing a popping sound. 7

The fact that one bass has found food in the neighborhood excites all the other base in the neighborhood to beparticularly on the lookout for more. food and I have discovered that if the. bass: hear what they think is another bass landing food, it attracts and stirs up the other striped bass to be on the lookout for food in the same vicinity.

I have, therefore, so designed my improved plug or lure that it will be most attractive to the striped bass and I have provided. a lure which is of elongated generally cylindrical fish simulating shape, preferably having a nose and rear end in simulation of a fish, whichlwill function as retrieved so that the rear end of the plug will always remain above the water and the plug will axially wiggle or pivot while partially rotating as it moves through the water in simulation of an injured fish and so that when a sharp pull is made on the line the plug may jump out of the water, temporarily turn over to create a disturbance on the surface of the water with the emission of air bubbles and a popping sound simulative of the sound made by a striped bass finding and landing on its catch.

For this purpose I have provided a fishing .plug

which not;on1y=wi1l;float on the surface of the T Water, but which is provided with a flat face plate 'insimulation of an injured fish and when a sharp pull is made on the line, the plugwill jump and turn over on its back to cause the inverted face plate to churn up thesurface of the water, with the emission of air bubbles, making a popping sound simulative of the sound made by the striped bass stunning and landing its catch.

To maintain this travel of the plug in the water, I preferably construct the body of the plug of a light material such as ponderosa pine or light wood or other light material having a specific gravity of about .45 and I so limitthe weight of the fish plate, the hooks mounted thereon and hook mounting .means to about 30.5%. of the weight of the plug, so that the plug will function when pulled through the water in the manner explained. V g

I thus provide a plug that jumps and swims, wiggles in a rip and creates a commotion like a striped bass breaking or popping and which always remains on the surface to resemble the bait the bass likes to feed on and thus provide a bait which is easy to learn to use for it is always in sight and can always be made to act as a fisherman-wants it to and which can also, like a puppet on a string, be made to splash like a striped bass breaking or popping or standing on end, jumping or struggling in the water like an injured fish. V

A further object of my invention is to provide a noveltype of swivel mounting for the axially spaced hooks on the plug. As stated, the striped bass is a fighting fish and tends to fight, twist and wiggle when attacking the bait. I first employed my improved plug with hooks which did not swivel and I found the striped bass would twist and wiggle free in two out of three cases. I have redesigned my improved plugwith the specific type of swivelling hooks shown, with heavy swivels independently mounted on each hook and have found that I land about every fish that bites. g

, These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appear will be best understood from a description of an embodiment thereof, such; as is shown in the accompanying drawings,

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fishing plug constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal, vertical, sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a rear view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the parts I preferably employ to maintain thefish hooks on the plug, prior to attachment thereto.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference generally indicate like parts through-" out, generally indicates a fishing plug;.particularly adapted for striped bass. constructed in accordance with my invention;

As stated hitherto, I preferably make my improved plug or lure 29 of a fish simulating shape and for this purpose provide it with the-elongated, generally cylindrical fish simulating body 22, having asemi-spherical nose 24 anda tapered rear end 28. Suitable," preferably multipronged hooks as' shown, are mounted at spaced axial distances on the plug, comprising the two hooks 28 and 28 depending from the'-' body thereof and the hook29,' depending-from the'rear end thereof, said hooks 28 and 28 beingpreferably swivably mounted on said plug 20' in a manner to be explained.

In the preferred embodiment shown, said plug ls-provided with the face plate 3i] to make it twist and wiggle and to aid in causing a commotion when the plug is pulled in inverted position through the water. In the preferred embodiment shown, said faceplate 30 comprises 4 a preferably flat face plate of at least the width of the plug, having a forwardly projecting portion-32, having its rear end embedded in a horizontal slot substantially'centrally of the nose of the plug to have the portion 32project first forwardly horizontally substantially centrally of the nose and a' portion 34 projecting downwardly therefrom'preferably having a-hole 36 therein, said-portion 34'termin'ating in the tip portion 38, having a semi-circular lower'edge' extending obliquely forwardly and downwardly" from said downwardly projectin portion 34.

As stated; I preferably so construct my" im proved plug thatit may have'its rear e'nd'fioat on the surface of the water and the plugwill axially swivel or pivot while partially rotating as it wiggles through the water'in simulation of an injured fish. For this purpose; I preferably construct the bodyof my plug-of a lightmaterial, preferably a light woodsuch a sjp'onder'osa pine or like material having a specific gravity of about .45, although the plug maybe constructed of other types of wood, plastic or anysuitable material. I have found that the most suitable materials have a'specific gravity between .4 and .5. As stated, the hooks 28 28 and 5 28" are preferably mounted at spaced axial distances of the plug by the mounting means 42% 42' 42, with the hook 28 depending from the rear end of the plug and the hooks 28 and 28 depending ata'xially spaced intervals from the end's'of the plug on' said body. To'a'chieve the desired result, the weight of the faceplate 30, the hooks 28 28 and 23 and thehook'mountingmeans' 42 42 and 42 is less than 29% of the weight of the plug when the plug body is constructed of a material having a specific gravity around .5, and I preferably so construct my improved device that the weight of these parts bears this proportion to theentireweight'of the plug. If, however, the specific gravity of the body drops to .4, the weight of said parts may be increased up to around 32%. With this construction and proportioning of weights, the buoyancy of the plug 20 is so balanced by said other parts and by the size and shape of the face plate 30, that as said plug is drawn in use the buoyancy of the plug itself will so counterbalance the diving tendency or action of the face plate that the rear end 26 ofthe plug will always remain abovewater and the'plug will axially wiggle or pivot while partially rotating as it wiggles through the water in simulation of an injured fish, to the left, then back-centrally through the mid position, to the right and so on back and forth as the plug is reeled in in use.

It is also apparent when there is a sharp pull on the line the'plug 20 will jump and then fall asif landing on its bait or catch to create a disturbance on the surface of the water by the splash *oftheplug itself landing. and byrthe inverted surface of the faceplate: contacting the surface'of the water, with the emissionof air bubbles and a popping sound simulativeofthe sound made by astriped bass landingbait;

My invention also specifically. relatesto' the special type of mountingmea'n's-H 42 ,--and 42 I employ for pivotally mounting the body hooks 28* 'and 28 so that they may swivelas they.'depend fromtheloWerportiOn of the plug; For thispurpose, Iprovide the plug'.body. with the central axial hole 48 extendingzfromthe' lower portion of the nose-24' upwardlyras at 50 through the nose and front: portion of thebody; then rearwardly centrally as at 52 of said bodyto the rearend 54 thereof; I alsoprovide the vertical holes 56 *and56 projecting downwardlyifrom said central axial hole '48rto thelower' surface ofsaid bodyiand if'desired said holes56 and 55 to lighten the-body? may. extend upWa'rdlybe yond said axial hole-4S;-

I providethe draw wire 58 extending. through saidface plate hole SB When'the faceplate 30 is employed, and' the'central axial'ho1e 48 'of said plug having. a'front' end shapedrin the form of a line attachingzloopfln to"which th'e line "is attached in front of the downwardly. projecting portion 34 of said face plate and a' rear endhaving a vertical hookattachingloop" 63'th'ereon. The multipronged fish hook= 2fl has"its'eye 29 mountedon-said'vertical loop 63. To sw'ivably maintain the centrally depending-multipronged fish' hooks 28 and 28 in theirrespective holes 56 and 56 I providez'thei-hollowcylindrical bar rels 64 and" 64 mounted with a loose slip fitvin said vertical holes 56 and 56 beln'g"p'rovlded with thediametric'holes 6-6 and 66 'in the upper ends thereof through which'the supporting. draw wire 58*is strung. Saidbarrels 64 and 64 are provided with theinwar'dly. domed loweredges 68 and 68*, having the open central porti'ons 10 and 70 therein.

I- pro'videthe inverted'cotter hooks n and l2 having: outwardly flaringupper-ends: 14" and :14 extendingthrough the narrow open portions 10 and 10 of said swivelbarrels 54 and. 64 and resting on the domed edge's thereof so' that. the hook portions 16 and 16 depend from the lower surface of the" plug The fi'sh'hooks 28 and 28 have their respective eyes 29 and 29 pivotally mounted on the outwardlyprojecting'loops 16 and 'l'fi of'said"cotter"hooks 3|2 andl2";

I also preferably provide the protective grommete and 80* having the inwardly projecting cylindrical lips 84 andi 84 adapted to fit at that time.

with a forced fit within the lower ends of said holes 56 and 56 and the outer annular portions 82 and 82 covering the surface of the plug adjacent said holes. A similar grommet 39 is mounted over the rear end of the plug.

It is apparent that the construction of the mounting means permits a ready assembly of the parts. The grommets 80 and 89 are first inserted in their respective holes 55 and 59 and the grommet 89 inserted over the rear end 5 1 of said plug, the face plate 30 being also inserted The cotter hooks 12 and 72 then have one leg thereof inserted through the eye 29 or 29 of the fish hook 28 or 25 and then have their legs 74 or M compressed together so that they may be inserted upwardly within the lower end of the barrel 54 or 54 The lower end of the barrel 6& or 64 is then domed with a suitable compressing tool so that the tips 75 or of the legs 14* or 74 rest against the inwardly domed lower edges 58 or 58 of the barrels 6 1 or 64 The draw wire 58 then has its front end bent back on itself as at 84, to provide the loop 50 on the front end thereof and the draw wire 53 is then inserted through the face plate hole 35 when the face plate 39 is employed and rearwardly through the central axial hole 48, through the diametric holes 66* and 65 of the barrels 154 and 64 so that its rear end projects rearwardly through the grommet 89 beyond the rear end 26. The rearwardly projecting end 89 of the draw wire is then bent downwardly and rearwardly after the eye 29 has been inserted therein to provide the circular vertical loop 63 for pivotally mounting the fish hook eye 29 therein and the tip 88 of said wire is then wound in spiral formation around the portion 90 of I may be employed centrally with the hook 28 and its mounting means being omitted.

It is apparent that I have provided a novel type of fishing plug with the advantages described above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A fishing plug comprising a generally cylindrical body, a rounded nose section and a tapered rear end, said nose section having a central transverse slot, a face plate having a horizontal portion, a downwardly extending portion, and

a forwardly extending lower tip portion, the horizontal portion being secured in the central transverse slot, said cylindrical body having an axial bore and said nose section having a downwardly extending bore communicating with the axial bore, said downwardly extending faceplate portion having an opening aligned with the outer end of the downwardly extending bore, and a draw wire extending through said axial bore, said downwardly extending bore, and said opening in the downwardly extending face plate portion.

ROBERT B. POND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 299,133 Halkyard May 27, 1884 923,095 Wilcox May 25, 1909 935,657 Howe Oct. 5, 1909 1,689,541 Weldh Oct. 30, 1928 1,744,366 Davenport Jan. 21, 1930 1,809,776 Davenport June 9, 1931 1,842,591 Dunkelberger Jan. 26, 1932 2,152,275 Parkins Mar. 28, 1939 2,254,949 Messacar Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 611,436 Great Britain Oct. 29, 1948 

